Tenaxis Medical, Inc. Statement on German Court Nullification of CryoLife, Inc. 'Kowanko' Patent

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The German Federal Patent Court in Munich has indicated their intention to nullify the German patent DE 693 31 011 (German Kowanko patent) assigned to CryoLife, Inc. of Kennesaw, GA. This is the German part of the European Patent 0 650 512 and is key intellectual property relating to the BioGlue® Surgical Adhesive which is marketed worldwide by CryoLife, Inc.

"We have always believed our intellectual property protection to be strong and we elected to initiate a nullity action in Germany to reinforce our position in this field and maximize the value of our own portfolio," said Ronald Dieck, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tenaxis Medical, Inc. "In our review it became clear that the German Kowanko patent was not a valid patent. This assessment will be supported by the upcoming written decision of the Federal Patent Court in Munich, which has indicated that they will nullify the patent. In addition, we are confident that the Court's decision will lead to the stay of the patent infringement action brought by CryoLife, Inc. against Tenaxis Medical, Inc.'s product ArterX® Vascular Sealant before the Duesseldorf District Court in Germany, pending the outcome of any appeal by CryoLife against the decision of the Federal Patent Court."

About Tenaxis Medical, Inc.

Privately held Tenaxis Medical, Inc. is headquartered in Mountain View, CA. It custom designs a wide variety of surgical sealants that address unmet clinical needs throughout the anatomy. Its first product, the ArterX® Vascular Sealant, was launched in Europe at the end of 2008 and is sold through distributors in over 15 countries.

About ArterX® Vascular Sealant

ArterX® Vascular Sealant is a novel prophylactic agent that seals anastomotic suture lines in seconds. The sealant quickly sets into a soft gel that contains a unique cross-linking agent to effectively seal grafts. It exhibits a high degree of efficacy as shown in European clinical trials.

SOURCE Tenaxis Medical, Inc.